Vana, Malsi Estate

Veer Singh's dream to create the "most iconic wellness retreat
in the world" formed during the time he spent farming in Spain in
2006, growing organic herbs and vegetables.

His family, based in New Delhi, bought 8.5 hectares of mango and
lychee orchards surrounded by forest in Dehradun, in the northern
Indian state of Uttarakhand. After nearly five years of
construction and some $170 million later, 31-year-old Singh has
opened Vana, Malsi Estate, in the foothills
of the Himalayas, a one-hour flight from Delhi.

Vana features traditional therapies in a super-stylish setting.
Most of the 86 guest suites face the forest, "a view that is
healing in itself", says Singh. His design brief to the Spanish
architect Esteva i Esteva Arquitectura was to "work with nature and
exist in it" and the resulting sleek design is unusual in Indian
hotels. The interiors are mid-century modern, in soothing neutral
palettes with hardwood floors, custom furniture and organic cotton.
Meditation rooms within the suites burn incense from a nearby
Tibetan monastery. The spa cuisine is an artful highlight - perhaps
fish, green-tea noodles and vegetables in a soy broth - and is
mostly sourced from the property's organic garden and local
farms.

Indian, Tibetan and Chinese therapies in their purest forms are
customised for each guest and overseen by an Ayurvedic doctor. "Spa
treatments are not remixes of anything else and are very
traditional," says spa manager Melany Martinez Thomas. Not to be
missed is the Tibetan healing treatment, called "dhugs", featuring
warm poultices of medicinal herbs. Follow with a dip in a pool
overlooking the Mussoorie hills, with monkeys swinging in the trees
nearby.

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